Energizing the future

Wake Forest University is bringing together business leaders, leading researchers, entrepreneurs and scholars for a two-day conference to address America’s growing energy problem and to lay the groundwork for solutions. Columnist and best-selling author Thomas Friedman will deliver the conference’s keynote address.

The conference, “Energizing the Future: Technology, Policy and Entrepreneurship,” will be held on Feb. 10 and 11 in Brendle Recital Hall on the Wake Forest campus. The conference is free and open to the public, although advance registration is suggested through the conference Web site.

The conference will emphasize the importance of emerging technologies, innovation and entrepreneurship to solve our energy problems, said Professor and Chair of Biology Jim Curran, who is organizing the conference with other faculty members. The idea for the conference originated from a seminar that Curran taught several years ago on energy policy and that he is teaching again this semester. Students in his class will be writing articles and op-ed pieces based on what they learn in the conference.

He hopes that students, as well as the general public, come away from the conference knowing that there are things that they can do right now to begin addressing energy problems and “to see what’s possible and how to make it happen.”

“This is the most important issue America will have to face in the next half century, and we have one chance to get it right,” Curran said. “We’re not going to solve the problem tomorrow, but we want to show that there are things that can be done now to move in that direction.”

The conference will feature remarks via video from U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. Duke Energy CEO James Rogers, Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon, and Steven Burke, president of the North Carolina Biofuels Center, will speak at the conference.

Friedman, the New York Times columnist and the best-selling author of “Hot, Flat and Crowded,” will speak at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10 in Wait Chapel. His speech, “Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and How it Can Renew America,” is part of the University’s Voices of Our Time lecture series.

Panel discussions, moderated by Wake Forest professors, will address emerging energy sources, including wind, solar and nuclear power; government and economic policies that affect energy legislation; and how entrepreneurs are seizing the initiative to develop alternative technology businesses. A panel of local business and government leaders will discuss energy ventures in North Carolina.

Headlines

Subscribe

ABOUT WAKE FOREST NEWS

We are Wake Forest University’s primary news source and first point of contact for reporters. We help media by facilitating interviews, connecting with faculty experts or providing interesting story ideas. A staff member is on call 24/7 for media requests at 336.758.5237. Our team also offers a variety of communications resources for Wake Forest students, faculty and staff.